Variation in handwriting has, for a long time, attracted the attention of graphologists. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of natural, intra-individual variation selected constructional characteristics in women's signatures.
The number of signatures from each women used was 45. They were all of similar age, they had the same number of years in education, and the same surname ending.
It was found that characteristics at the basic level have a mean instibility that is twice as high as characteristics at the macrostructural level.
It was also found that within characteristics at the basic level, characteristics of connections have higher instability than characteristics of stroke construction.
Implications of these results for forensic handwriting analysis are discussed.
The research encompassed 18 students (aged 21.27; average age 22.2). The selection criterion was the ending of the surname, which consisted inthe letters .wska. (9 women) or .ska. (9 women)6.
The research material
Full signatures (first name and surname) signed during university lectures were examined. The signatures were made while sitting at a table, on
an A5 blank sheet of paper, on a dotted line, on the right hand side under the sentence: .I hereby certify my presence at criminalistic lectures.. The examined women used their own writing instrument. Analysis of features encompassed 45 signatures by each participant signed 5 at once, at weekly intervals or longer, for a duration of 15 weeks. If the possibility of occurrence of a factor causing unintentionally unnatural variation in signature was ascertained, such a sample was excluded from further analysis.
Method of determining the instability:
For each of the womens 45 signatures they were all going to be analized.
In each feature it was established which value occurs most in an analized set.
It is found that, according to the accepted terminology, the stability of the particular feature whereas the sum of frequencies of occurrence of the other values constitutes the instability of the particular feature.
The final stage of the study was the determination of the mean instability of particular features.
The number of signatures from each women used was 45. They were all of similar age, they had the same number of years in education, and the same surname ending.
The research encompassed 18 students (aged 21.27; average age 22.2). The selection criterion was the ending of the surname, which consisted inthe letters .wska. (9 women) or .ska. (9 women)6.
The research material
Full signatures (first name and surname) signed during university lectures were examined. The signatures were made while sitting at a table, on
an A5 blank sheet of paper, on a dotted line, on the right hand side under the sentence: .I hereby certify my presence at criminalistic lectures.. The examined women used their own writing instrument. Analysis of features encompassed 45 signatures by each participant signed 5 at once, at weekly intervals or longer, for a duration of 15 weeks. If the possibility of occurrence of a factor causing unintentionally unnatural variation in signature was ascertained, such a sample was excluded from further analysis.
Method of determining the instability: